Crossroads Center: Medical care and more

Nurse practitioner student David Alaniz takes the blood pressure of Laura Burkhart at the Crossroads Center Medical Clinic in Valparaiso.

DEVON RAVINE / Daily News

By ANGEL McCURDY / Daily News

Published: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at 05:55 PM.

VALPARAISO — Not everyone believes in miracles in these difficult times, but employees at a small medical clinic say they see them every day.

The staff at Crossroads Center Medical Clinic in Valparaiso sees people in the gravest of circumstances and gives them the ability to fight their diseases.

“We have had people walk in hours or days from death and their lives were saved here,” said Hershel Adams, director of missions with Emerald Coast Fellowship of Baptist Churches. “What we try to do is provide a means of treating chronic diseases on an ongoing basis.”

The clinic opened in 2007 as a way to reach low-income adults ages 18 to 64 in Okaloosa and Walton counties. Before it opened, no other clinic was available for adults struggling to make enough money for daily living and medical expenses.

“They wouldn’t want anything to be really bad because they didn’t know how to care for it,” said clinic manager Cindy Bray. “Instead of going to the doctor they would just ignore it.”

Bray said when the clinic opened, patients with undiagnosed cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases were able to see a doctor or nurse for the first time in years or even decades.

“We are a lifesaver here,” Bray said. “It’s a blessing to be a part of this, and from what I hear from the patients, it’s a blessing for them, too.”

Since it opened, the clinic has taken on 1,400 patients and has been able to provide millions of dollars worth of medical services. The clinic also helped with the opening of a similar facility, Destin Hope Medical Clinic.

The clinic does not accept walk-in patients; appointments are needed and financial screenings are required beforehand.

Marty Walker, a nurse practitioner at the clinic, is one of 60 medical professionals who donate their time at the clinic. She said that in her long career in nursing there has been nothing like working at Crossroads.

“I think it has to do with the mission,” Walker said. ‘The fact that we are giving care to those who can’t afford it and doing it all with God’s love changes the atmosphere.”

The clinic hopes to add a dental wing. Bray said the equipment will cost from $80,000 and $120,000. Staffers say they could also use more volunteers from the medical field and from the community.

“We want to do the best we can to keep people out of the emergency room, and we need help to do that,” Bray said.

In the clinic’s small waiting room, chairs line the walls. A coffee table sits in the center with a box for prayer requests and a large Bible bookmarked by the last reader.

The clinic, which is adjacent to Valparaiso First Baptist Church, offers patients more than just a doctor’s visit. They can attend wellness classes, get discounted medication and even talk with a Christian volunteer and write down their prayer requests.

“We give the patients a personal touch,” Adams said. “We treat them and their needs with dignity.

VALPARAISO — Not everyone believes in miracles in these difficult times, but employees at a small medical clinic say they see them every day.

The staff at Crossroads Center Medical Clinic in Valparaiso sees people in the gravest of circumstances and gives them the ability to fight their diseases.

“We have had people walk in hours or days from death and their lives were saved here,” said Hershel Adams, director of missions with Emerald Coast Fellowship of Baptist Churches. “What we try to do is provide a means of treating chronic diseases on an ongoing basis.”

The clinic opened in 2007 as a way to reach low-income adults ages 18 to 64 in Okaloosa and Walton counties. Before it opened, no other clinic was available for adults struggling to make enough money for daily living and medical expenses.

“They wouldn’t want anything to be really bad because they didn’t know how to care for it,” said clinic manager Cindy Bray. “Instead of going to the doctor they would just ignore it.”

Bray said when the clinic opened, patients with undiagnosed cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases were able to see a doctor or nurse for the first time in years or even decades.

“We are a lifesaver here,” Bray said. “It’s a blessing to be a part of this, and from what I hear from the patients, it’s a blessing for them, too.”

Since it opened, the clinic has taken on 1,400 patients and has been able to provide millions of dollars worth of medical services. The clinic also helped with the opening of a similar facility, Destin Hope Medical Clinic.

The clinic does not accept walk-in patients; appointments are needed and financial screenings are required beforehand.

Marty Walker, a nurse practitioner at the clinic, is one of 60 medical professionals who donate their time at the clinic. She said that in her long career in nursing there has been nothing like working at Crossroads.

“I think it has to do with the mission,” Walker said. ‘The fact that we are giving care to those who can’t afford it and doing it all with God’s love changes the atmosphere.”

The clinic hopes to add a dental wing. Bray said the equipment will cost from $80,000 and $120,000. Staffers say they could also use more volunteers from the medical field and from the community.

“We want to do the best we can to keep people out of the emergency room, and we need help to do that,” Bray said.

In the clinic’s small waiting room, chairs line the walls. A coffee table sits in the center with a box for prayer requests and a large Bible bookmarked by the last reader.

The clinic, which is adjacent to Valparaiso First Baptist Church, offers patients more than just a doctor’s visit. They can attend wellness classes, get discounted medication and even talk with a Christian volunteer and write down their prayer requests.

“We give the patients a personal touch,” Adams said. “We treat them and their needs with dignity.